notifyMD Achieves SOC 2® Type 2 Certification for Data Security Excellence

notifyMD® is proud to announce that we have officially earned the SOC 2® Type 2 certification, a rigorous and respected standard for data security and privacy. This achievement demonstrates our unwavering commitment to safeguarding sensitive patient information and maintaining the highest level of trust with the healthcare organizations we serve.

What is SOC 2® Type 2 Certification?

SOC 2 stands for System and Organization Controls 2. This privacy and security standard assures partners and regulators that a company has implemented rigid controls to protect their data.

Developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), it’s based on five trust service principles that define the criteria for managing customer and patient data. While these principles overlap, the basic concepts include the following:

• Privacy: Safeguards patient data through access controls, encryption, and two-factor authentication.

• Security: Provides intrusion detection and network and application firewalls, protecting system resources against unauthorized access.

• Availability: Establishes a disaster recovery plan and security incident handling protocol.

• Processing Integrity: Refers to the requirement that data processing must be complete, accurate, valid, authorized, and timely. Quality assurance and processing monitoring maintain the system’s integrity.

• Confidentiality: This principle prevents unauthorized access and protects confidential information.

SOC 2 certification ensures these security controls are in place and operating effectively. It tests and monitors the security infrastructure, evaluating the effectiveness over a specific period.

Why SOC 2® Type 2 Certification is Crucial for Healthcare

In 2023, the HIPAA Journal reported that cyberattacks on healthcare organizations came to an all-time high, with 725 data breaches and over 133 million records exposed or impermissibly disclosed. Today, protecting your organization’s data and that of your patients has become a critical consideration and a priority for medical practices.

Ensuring this data is protected results in peace of mind, maintains patient trust, and avoids financial and legal consequences. In the event of a data breach, the consequences can be devastating.

According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach report, in 2024, healthcare data breaches reached an all-time high, with an average $9.8 million per breach. This money goes to ransomware payments, legal fees, regulatory fines, and incident investigation and forensic IT services. Indirect costs include a damaged reputation, operational downtime, increased compliance obligations, and higher insurance premiums.

The HIPAA Journal reported on Security Scorecard’s breaches report, which found that the healthcare industry had the highest volume of third-party data breaches, with 35% occurring through these vendors.

Making third-party risk management a component of your security and data protection programs is essential. Knowing they are SOC® 2 Type 2 compliant ensures adherence to the highest standards for patient data safety.

notifyMD’s® Commitment to Compliance and Security

While our team at notifyMD® is proud of earning SOC 2 certification, SOC 2 compliance is only one step in our commitment to data protection. We were also the first answering service to achieve HITRUST certification, the gold standard in data protection.

HITRUST certification demonstrates the highest level of privacy and security through a comprehensive framework that incorporates HIPAA, NIST, and ISO, among others. According to the NCC Group, HITRUST is now the most widely adopted security framework in the healthcare industry, with over 80% of U.S. health plans and hospitals implementing it as a resource or as part of their overall security program.

What This Means for Our Clients

Earning SOC 2® Type 2 certification ensures our partners that we take their security and privacy, as well as that of their patients, seriously. The medical practices, hospitals, and ambulatory surgical centers we work with can be confident that our security, processing integrity, confidentiality, availability, and privacy control have been evaluated by a third party and verified to meet the healthcare industry standards for protecting sensitive data.

Our clients can be confident that our procedures and protocols comply with HIPAA regulations, exceeding these standards to achieve the highest level of data protection. From multi-factor authentication to advanced encryption protocols and strict access control, our clients can be confident that their data is secure, whether at rest or in transit.

Beyond Certification: The notifyMD® Difference

At notifyMD®, our 100% U.S.-based team undergoes comprehensive training and regular refreshers, ensuring they stay up-to-date in today’s rapidly evolving cybersecurity environment. We recognize that human error and employee negligence are significant contributing factors to a substantial percentage of data breaches.

Ensuring that all our medical answering service providers and nurse triage teams have the latest information regarding attempts to infiltrate systems and the solutions to protect against them provides data security at the highest level. Our secure messaging for healthcare providers lets you send messages to patients, physicians, pharmacies, and laboratories over the internet.

These messages are encrypted, password protected, and require multi-factor authentication. The result is secure messaging that enhances communication, elevates the patient experience, and offers practitioners a safe method for staying in touch with their team while away.

About SOC 2 and the Audit Process

Companies achieve SOC 2 compliance through a rigorous auditing and evaluation process, ensuring their partners that they securely manage their data and protect the privacy of their patients. These outside auditors assess and confirm that a vendor complies with the five trust principles through established security controls.

These audits typically take 6 to 12 months, ensuring that controls are in place, operating effectively, and aligning with industry regulations such as HIPAA. Through this process, SOC 2 certification demonstrates sustained security practices over time.

While SOC 2 certification is not a legal requirement, it serves as a testament to a company’s commitment to maintaining the highest levels of security and trust.

Partnering for a More Secure Healthcare Future

Healthcare organizations turn to notifyMD® to support them, whether answering phones after hours or on a busy Monday morning, scheduling appointments, providing patient outreach, or using our nurse triage services. By undergoing a SOC 2 Type 2 compliance audit, we prove the services we provide meet the five trust principles and that your patients’ data is handled with the highest level of privacy and security.

As an answering service devoted to the healthcare industry, you can be assured that our well-trained virtual assistants act as an extension of your team, protecting patients’ privacy while providing exceptional, compassionate service.

To learn more about working with our dedicated and well-trained staff or to schedule a complimentary consultation, contact notifyMD® today.